Provoked by Impulse
by Sunburned-Stickperson
Summary: The past is bound to repeat itself. But Refia, Ingus, Luneth, and Arc are a family: they'll overcome anything-particularly when Arc is the target. Though, perhaps going to Ur wasn't the best idea, given Luneth's past with the bullies.


**This idea originally came from Blackstory's _Besotted._ She gave me the okay, and I took the idea and flew with it--perhaps a little too far. Check it out! It's got lots of LunethxArc goodness in it. I love it, and I'm honored that she let me use her idea.**

**If I owned these characters, I'd be making millions.**

"What's your biggest fear?"

There was shifting in the four beds.

"Why?" came the resounding voice.

"Because I'm just curious. We're on a mission to save the world, and I can guarantee it's not Xande we're afraid of."

There was laughter.

"You got that right, Refia. It's nothing like that."

"Then what, Luneth, is it?"

"Tell me yours, Ingus, and maybe I'll share mine."

"The one thing I am afraid of, Refia?"

"Uh-huh."

There was a shifting on one of the beds.

"It is… that Lady Sara's hand will be given to another."

There was a squeal from the bed a few feet away. "How cute!"

"C—cute?"

"That's so romantic!" Refia gushed. "You'll get married to her! I know so! You can even scoop her up and carry her away on the _Invincible_!"

"Re—Refia!"

"Your turn, Luneth!"

There was silence.

"Luneth?"

"Do I have to answer?"

"I told you mine, Luneth. So speak yours."

There was more silence. "My biggest fear?"

"Mm-hm," Refia said, shifting on her bed.

Luneth sighed. "That I'll lose Arc."

No response came for several minutes.

"Lose Arc?"

"Because of some stupid action on my part."

"That will not be hard," Ingus muttered.

"Shut up, Ingus, or I'll beat you to liger food!"

"I think that's beautiful."

"Really, Refia?"

"Yeah. It's so awesome you two love each other like that."

"L—love?"

"Naturally!"

"No, you've got it all wrong! He—he had a bit of a bad accident with bugbears a long time ago—" There was a pause as the fourth bed creaked. "I—I stepped away, and he…"

"So then is Arc's greatest fear is bugbears?"

"It would explain a lot about him."

"No!" Luneth shouted, freezing when the fourth bed let a ruffling sound loose. "I… It's…"

Refia shifted in the dark. "What is it?"

"It sounds really conceited."

"Go ahead. Ingus won't tease you, will he?"

"Fine. It's—It's my rejection."

"Rejection?"

"From anything. I—I'm kinda like his lifeline."

"What?" Ingus interjected.

"I can feel it there! Like, in Ur, we always slept together, every night. I'd cancel plans to come back and crawl in bed with him. And I could tell it. I can feel it in the way he curls up in my side at night. Winters were the best time for us to sleep together. But anyway, with the bullies and everything—a lot of kids thought he was weird 'cause he was so smart, but the bullies were the worst—I don't think he'd be here today if I hadn't stepped in and helped him."

There was a creaking as Luneth, occupant of the third bed, stood as Ingus began to speak.

"Really, Luneth, you make Arc sound as if he's an introverted freak. I am not surprised that the bullies were so apt to destroy him. It only reinforce—"

A gagging sound, a snarl, and a gasp were heard in sharp succession.

"Don't even go there, Dragoon. Jump all you want, but when you land, the darkness will crush you."

"Luneth! You're choking Ingus!"

There was a snarl, a grunt, and the sound of someone crawling back into bed.

"I'm going to bed," Luneth growled, and fell silent.

A few hours later, the occupant of the fourth bed stood up and walked over.

"I knew you'd come over—don't blush!"

"H—How did you—"

"Know? Arc, I can read you like you can read a book."

There was a bit of shuffling.

"Climb in. It's cold in this blasted ship."

There was a yelp as a board fell from the roof and landed on Luneth. Arc giggled softly.

"You really shouldn't insult it, Luneth."

Luneth laughed as Arc crawled into the bed.

"Yeah, talking crystals and evil airships. Bet you never thought I'd get us into an adventure like this, huh?"

There was a murmur of agreement as Arc curled up beside him. Luneth rested his chin on top of Arc's head.

"We'll be back in Ur soon to visit Topapa once more before our final battle."

Arc nodded, and Luneth was silent for a moment.

"I got you spot-on, didn't I?"

"You—you knew I wasn't asleep?"

"Cover to cover, Arc! I know you!"

"I—I!"

Luneth laughed again and slung an arm over Arc's waist. "Go to bed. I'm tired."

"S—sor—"

"Don't apologize! You've done nothing wrong."

"Okay?"

"That's better. Night."

"Night, Luneth."

Arc jolted awake the next morning to feel of Luneth holding him close and whispering in his ear. He tried to push away from him, but he was shaking so violently his limbs refused to cooperate.

"Hey, hey, calm down. It was just a dream."

Arc whimpered and stopped struggling.

"What happened?"

"I—I don't kn—know," he said. "B—but it was bad, I—I guess."

He heard Luneth sigh and felt himself be drawn closer. Arc curled into him and tried to calm himself down. He closed his eyes and relaxed into the embrace, feeling the ship rock as it sped toward Ur for one last stop before the crystal tower. He didn't know how much time had passed before he heard Refia wake up.

"Morning, Arc, morning Lune—wait, what happened to Arc?"

"Nightmare," Luneth said, not moving.

"About?"

"He doesn't know. He can't remember."

"Here, let me get you breakfast. Is that okay?"

Arc sighed shakily and sat up slowly. Luneth sat up beside him and leaned against the wall. As Refia walked back over with a tray in her hands, Arc leaned against Luneth, his breathing almost normal again.

"Where's Ingus?" Luneth asked when he took the tray.

"He went out earlier, I guess."

Arc took the bowl and began to eat slowly.

"What? This stuff again? Come on, for an almighty ship, you sure pick lousy food! Arc cooks a decillion times better than this!"

Luneth banged a fist against the wall behind him, and Arc smiled lightly when the ship got Luneth with another roofing board. Luneth rubbed his head and yelled at the ship in return, but the ship chose to be silent. With a huff, Luneth went to take a bite of the oatmeal-like substance, when the ship lurched violently and caused him to smush the meal all over the bottom of his face. Luneth began a tirade against the ship as he cleaned his face off, but was stopped by Arc.

"You really shouldn't speak ill of the ship," Arc whispered.

"But—"

"If you bad-mouth it, it's never gonna let Refia and me finish the meal."

"Fine," Luneth sighed, "but if I stop, you're cooking the next meal—even if we have to stop, and I've got to hunt."

"Okay."

Luneth settled back down against the wall and took a bite, finishing his meal quickly. Arc had hardly eaten a fourth of his by the time Luneth set the bowl down and wrapped an arm around him. A few minutes after, Ingus returned. He made a bit of a face when he saw Luneth and Arc, but otherwise stayed silent as he sat on his bed.

The trip was silent for a few moments as Refia ate the last of her breakfast. After she finished, she set her bowl down.

"What's the worst decision you ever made?"

The three young men looked at her.

"Are you serious?" Ingus asked.

"Yup. You guys are my best friends, and I want to know you better."

Ingus crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall. "It was taking a shower on my first day as Lady Sara's guard."

"What?" Refia asked.

The three sets of eyes watched him closely.

"The others thought it would be amusing to take my clothing and replace it with a dress of Lady Sara's. They threw them in the waters beneath the castle and had a black mage freeze the waters."

Luneth burst into laughter.

"My deepest respect is for you, Arc."

Arc stared at him in disbelief. "M—Me?"

"You are, indeed, the most destructive of the job classes. I have a healthy fear of you."

Luneth was crying from laughing so much as he wrapped an arm around Arc's shoulder and pulled him close. "Hey, Arc, since you've got him wrapped around your finger, if I ever need something from him…"

Arc sighed. "What's your worst decision, Refia?"

"Me? Leaving my father."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I miss him a lot, but I wouldn't trade this in for anything. I'll go back to him and finish my apprenticeship after this."

Arc smiled at her as Luneth sighed from being ignored.

"What's yours, Luneth?" Refia asked.

Luneth looked shocked. "Mine?"

"Yup!"

Luneth thought for a while. "It was beating up those bullies after Arc's bearbug accident."

"What is this 'bearbug accident' that you keep referring to?"

Luneth frowned. "That's up to Arc if he wants to tell, but after the accident—three days and two and half hours later—the bullies tainted a potion with the impulse prank potion. You ever heard of those?"

"No," Refia said.

"They're the potions that make you act upon your every instinct. If you drink enough of it, you can't even remember what you did while the spell was on you. A single spell lasts about four hours. You're nothing but pure impulse when you drink them."

"That shouldn't be too much of a problem for you then. You are quite impulsive already," Ingus muttered.

"Regardless of stupid there, when one of my friends handed me the potion after an adventure while Arc was still unconscious, I drank it willing. The bullies were one of the first things in my line of sight after it took effect, and the next thing I remember about them was their bloody bodies and cries of pain."

"Are you serious?" Refia gasped.

"On my life. Topapa wasn't pleased at all. They had a year's worth of learning how to control their muscles after they woke up. Well, the three who survived."

Ingus looked shocked.

"You really did that?"

"It was an impulse potion! You can't control what you do when you're under that spell! I couldn't help it! They were there, and I was mad for the stunt they pulled on Arc! It took everything I had as a kid to stop myself from beating them up every time I saw them! It was a dirty, evil thing they did!"

"But, killing two of the kids?"

"It wasn't his fault," Arc cut in with a whisper. "It was mine for falling for the trick."

"Arc," Luneth shook his head, "they deserved every cut. At least I took the two worst ones out. I don't know why they became worse, rather than just leaving you alone. Probably revenge on me."

"But I fell for it. I should've known."

Luneth pulled Arc into a hug, "It wasn't your fault."

"What happened?" Ingus said as he shifted on the bed.

"I—They gave me a bearbug cub that was injured. I stitched up the paw, and—and—" Arc shook his head as he stood up. "But the parents… they—they were close by, and …"

He shuddered at the memory.

"Perhaps I should just—just show you."

He began to pull off his coat, refusing to look at the other three.

"You don't have too, Arc," Refia said.

"N—No."

The coat dropped to the ground, and he pulled off the scarf around his neck and the sweater he wore. Refia gasped when she saw the rows of scars running around his torso. Ingus' eyes grew wide as he eyed the nasty looking scars crawling into Arc's gloves and creeping up his neck.

"There is no wonder why you became painfully introverted."

"They threw you around like a toy!" Refia shrieked as she ran over to him and hugged him tightly. "Oh, Arc! If I see them when we're in Ur, I'm gonna kill the ones Luneth didn't!"

Luneth chuckled. "See, Arc? We're a family. We'll watch out for you."

"Just don't give Luneth an impulse potion around me. I rather enjoy life."

"I was ten then. It's been years."

"So you were nine when they got you? Oh, Arc, how did you survive?"

"Topapa has those magical springs," Luneth said as he pried Refia off Arc. "But even those took a while to heal him to the point where we could move him."

Refia nodded her head and let go, handing him his shirt. Arc dressed quickly and settled back down by Luneth, staring at the floor as he curled up in Luneth's side. Ingus walked off to the window.

Refia stood in front of him and placed her hands on her hips as she smiled gently. "We'll watch out for you! While we're in Ur, you're never going to leave our sights, is that understood?"

Arc remained silent, but Refia wasn't so easily deterred. She got down on her knees and took Arc's hand.

"Like Luneth said, we're a family now." She smiled at him. "And, you're a valuable part of our team. Once I finish my apprenticeship, I'll come back and stay with you. And Ingus can steal Lady Sara away, and we can all live together somewhere—maybe Doga's manor!"

Luneth grinned. "And see what happens when you touch the moogle's red poofy ball."

"Luneth," Refia groaned.

Arc gave a slight smile and closed his eyes. "Thank you."

Refia smiled brightly. "It's what family does! Consider it nothing."

A few seconds later, Ingus came over from the window. "Don't jinx us now, but we've arrived at Ur."

Luneth sighed. "But I was just getting comfortable."

Arc smiled as Luneth wrapped his arm tighter around him. "We could just not go."

"But didn't you want to talk to Topapa? I know he means a lot to you," Refia said.

Arc sighed and stood up, wringing his hands. "Yeah, I—I guess."

Luneth stood beside him as they shuffled off. "You'll be fine. 'Sides, Topapa's waiting to see us! He misses us."

They entered the small village warily. A few kids were playing in the pathway, and several teenagers sat under a tree studying. Arc looked around cautiously, and upon deciding that the bullies were not around, he relaxed slightly and looked at the others.

"Well, it certainly hasn't changed from the boring place it was… is, I guess." Luneth sighed and crossed his arms. "Why do you like it here so much? It's boring."

"That's no way to speak about your hometown."

They turned to the left and saw Topapa standing there, leaning on his walking stick.

"Topapa," Arc said as he walked over and hugged him.

Topapa returned the hug and gestured to the others.

"Well, I'm glad you came after all. I always knew Luneth was destined for adventure. Are these the other two heroes of light?"

"I am Ingus, sir. A guard for Lady Sara at Sa—"

"Sassoon castle. Ah, yes, I know it well. I do believe I almost sent you there, Arc, for a bit, to study?" He turned and led them to his house.

"Yes, Topapa, but it was decided I should stay here a while longer."

"How old were you then?"

"I was eight."

"Ah, right, I remember then. Luneth threw a hissy fit."

Luneth huffed. "I told him he couldn't go to Sassoon castle without me. We would've explored it together."

"I didn't want to go to Sassoon castle without you."

Luneth grinned. "See? Already I was playing knight!"

Refia bopped Luneth on the back of helmet. "If I were Topapa, I would've sent him just to teach you a lesson."

"You are so cruel!" Luneth wailed.

As they walked into the house, Nina came running down the stairs. "Luneth! Arc! You're home! Oh, thank Gaia alive, I missed you two! I'll get lunch cooking, and you can tell me about your adventures then."

"Our adventures are not finished yet, ma'am," Ingus said.

"Oh dear, don't tell me that! My precious children out fighting monsters and saving the world? It's too much for a mother to think about!" She flitted off into the kitchen. "You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

"We ate breakfast, but it was late in the morning. Arc was suffering from the remnants of a nightmare—"

"Oh Arc!" Nina came rushing back and wrapped him in a hug. "You're still having nightmares? Even with Luneth beside you? You poor child! Have you tried the honeyed tea?"

"We don't have any tea bags on our ship," Refia said. "But we can find some. I wish I had known that: I could've made some for him."

Nina looked her over carefully as she let go of Arc. "A right proper mother you'll make someday, dear. These boys are lucky to have someone like you on their team."

Ingus groaned.

"She reminds us daily," Luneth said.

"Well, you should remember it! Arc, dear, will you help me finish lunch? We can talk there, and Luneth can show this lovely young woman around."

"Her name is Refia, and this is Ingus," Arc said.

"And Ingus can help us set the table. How does that sound? Come along!" Nina bustled Arc and Ingus off to the kitchen.

Topapa chuckled. "She is so excited that you're home."

Luneth laughed. "I can tell. Come on, Refia, I'll show you around—even if there is almost nothing to see."

Refia laughed as he took her hand and walked out the door.

An hour later, they were all seated around a small table, chatting gaily about the adventure. Luneth was telling them wild stories about different battles and creatures they fought with wild hand gestures. They talked well into the afternoon as they munched on the lunch that Nina and Arc had made for them. When the stories were finally trickling to a stop, Arc rose and looked at Ingus.

"Would you like me to show you around Ur now?"

Ingus stood and nodded. "Please, I would enjoy a tour of this quiet village. It was never like this at Sassoon."

Arc smiled as they walked out the door. He took his time showing Ingus around and told stories about Luneth's adventures. By the end of the tour, the sun was just barely peeking above the horizon, and Arc was standing by the lake. Ingus was beside him, gazing at the lake and enjoying the breeze.

"This is a beautiful village. I can see why you love living here. It would be nice."

Arc smiled. "It's—"

A rock whizzed by Arc's ear, and with a strangled cry, he spun around to see the bullies emerging from the trees.

"Look! Our favorite faggot is back!"

"Leave us alone," Ingus said. "We have no business with you."

"But we have business with Arc."

"I'm afraid you don't."

"So this is your new bodyguard, Arc? He seems a bit too feminine for your tastes."

"He's in love with Luneth, ain't he? There's no kid as girly as him!"

Arc's face was a brilliant red as looked away.

Ingus tensed and drew his Gungir lance out. "Leave us be."

"Look! The flamer's going shy! I think he's cheating on his dear Luneth with this kid!"

Ingus roared and ran toward the bullies. They looked surprised, but laughed as they ran off.

"We'll be back, freak! Just wait!"

When they were out of sight, Ingus returned to Arc's side.

"Those are the bullies?"

Arc sat by the water's edge and nodded glumly. Ingus sighed as he sat down, almost silent in the Dragoon armor. They sat and watched the sun go down. Eventually, as the night drew later, Refia came over to them.

"Luneth wants to talk to you, Ingus. I'll stay here with Arc."

Ingus nodded as he stood up and walked off. Refia sat near Arc and looked up at the sky.

"It's beautiful tonight, isn't it?"

Arc smiled at her. "Yeah, it is. You should see it in the spring, when all the flowers are first beginning to emerge."

Refia was silent for a moment. "Arc, I know you're afraid, but why don't you just blast the bullies with one good hit of flare or something when they tease you? It'll cause them to leave you alone."

Arc stared over the lake. "I don't want to hurt them. Besides, I'm not really much good for anything—"

"Don't give me that crap! Arc, you need to stand up for yourself!"

He pulled his knees up and wrapped his arms around them. "I don't have a reason to fight back," he whispered.

"Yes, you do! They've been provoking you for years! Arc, what more of a reason do you need?"

He shrugged. "I guess I'll know when I snap."

Refia laughed. "I hope I'm there. You're brilliant, ya know?"

"Brilliantly pathetic. Who's this cutie with you, another bodyguard?"

Arc stood up and faced them. Refia rose and put her hands on her hips.

"It's you three. Why don't you leave him alone?"

"Why shouldn't we?"

"Because he's just as human as you are! You should feel ashamed of yourselves, picking on someone who won't fight back!"

"There ya go, you just answered your own question."

The three bullies advanced as Refia huffed and called her Elder Staff forth.

"Looks like she's gonna try to hurt us. We can't have that, can we?"

Two of the bullies stepped forward to grab Refia. When the first one touched her, he was met with a resounding smack to the face as he stumbled back with a star-shaped imprint on his face. The second bully ran back as Arc stood in front of Refia, trembling as he held his Omnirod.

"Leave her alone," he whispered.

The leader of the bullies laughed. "Well, well, looks like you aren't as pathetic as we thought! That's gonna leave a nasty bruise on his face, though."

Arc swallowed and watched the bullies closely. When the leader lunged at him, he let out a strangled cry that sounded similar to "Flare!" as he scrambled backwards and fell in the pond. He watched as a deep well of magic exploded underneath the bullies' feet and flared up around them. The pink and red waves of magic curved in at the top and crashed down upon the bullies. Refia gasped when the three were crushed beneath the brilliantly colored magic. The magic shoved out of the bottom and billowed up to the top before it finally disappeared.

Arc was shaking as his fingers curled into the muddy bottom of the lake. He stared at the bullies as they were groaning and wriggling on the ground. Refia was by the leader's side and glanced him over quickly, assessing the damage done. When she was satisfied, she stood up and walked over to Arc.

"They'll be okay, but they won't be bothering you for a while."

Arc just stared at them as Topapa and the others came running over.

"What happened?" Luneth asked as he took in the sight and walked immediately over to Arc.

Arc sputtered as he shook his head.

"Arc? Arc, what happened?" Luneth asked.

"They tried to gang rape me!" Refia shrieked. "And they got lucky! I would've blasted them to bits with tornado and holy if Arc hadn't stepped in!" She flailed her hands as she spoke. "Gang rape! Can you believe the nerve? They should be happy Arc just flared them!"

Topapa looked at the three bullies as their mothers carried them off. "Is this true?"

Arc buried his face in his hands, not bothering to move out of the water. Topapa's eyes widened, and he shook his head glumly.

"Or were you their true target?"

Luneth waded in and pulled Arc up. Ingus stepped into the water and took Arc's Magus cloak and hat as Luneth brought him to land.

"It was both, Topapa," Arc whispered as Refia took off her cloak and began to wipe away the mud all over his face.

Luneth and Ingus exchanged surprised glances.

"Look at you," Refia fussed. "A mess! What you need is a nice, hot bath and—"

"Arc! Refia! Oh, you poor dears!" Nina shouted as she came bustling over.

The rest of the village was waking up to see what was going on. People trickled out of their houses. Nina hugged Refia tightly.

"They didn't do anything to you, did they?"

"No, ma'am, Arc saved me," she chirped.

"Arc! My baby! You've grown up so much! Oh, I'm so pr—"

"Nina," Topapa said sternly, "we should not be excusing the use of violence in this town. The three children will be dealt with accordingly."

"Oh," Nina was bristling, "stuff it! Arc has finally stood up for himself! All these years of him being abused, and he's finally striking back! We should be proud!"

She puffed up and looked at Luneth. "Isn't that right?"

Luneth grinned as he led Arc toward the house. "Duh! I'm proud of him for it! We should celebrate! All these years of punishment not working is finally being repaid!"

Nina sighed as she took Refia by the shoulders and gestured for Ingus to follow. "I know! It's about time."

Arc shook violently as he was led back. "What are they going to do next?"

Luneth laughed, "Nothing. We're leaving tomorrow morning!"

When morning rolled along, the four light warriors were saying goodbye and climbing aboard the _Invincible_. As the ship took off, Luneth wrapped an arm around Arc's shoulders.

"I wish I had been there yesterday night."

Refia giggled. "It was pretty awesome, now that I think about it. And Arc's a good liar."

"What do you mean?" Ingus asked.

"Gang rape was never their intention. They just wanted to hold me back for a clear shot at Arc."

"No way!" Luneth shouted. "You both had me totally fooled! The entire village believes you!"

Arc whispered, "It's easy when a man tries to grab a woman."

"But, you? Lie? I never woulda seen it!" Luneth stared at his friend.

Arc looked down. "I shouldn't have. I really shouldn't have, but I didn't want them to hurt Refia."

"You're adorable, Arc," Refia said as she walked to the beds. "I'm just glad you lashed out."

"They're gonna beat me up when I get back. So bad I can't ever walk again. What were they doing while we weren't looking?"

"I won't let them," Luneth said. "We'll go to Doga's manor. And who cares were they were? They weren't around us."

Arc just shuddered and settled in for a long ride. Night settled in quickly, and Arc found himself curled up against Luneth. When the next morning came, they were almost there. Arc found himself checking and rechecking their supplies and weapons until midevening when they arrived at the Ancients' Maze.

"We can do this. We've already seen the crystal and gotten the jobs. Why did we go back to Ur in the first place?" Luneth asked.

"Because we were running low on supplies and once we travelled back to Saronia, you got mail from Topapa saying he wants to see you again. Well, Nina was telling him to write to you to come and visit them again," Ingus said.

"Okay, okay, enough chatter. Let's get going!" Luneth marched off. "Come on!"

The next two hours passed quickly as they stumbled and laughed their way through the maze. Arc led them through quickly: his photographic memory recalled every dead end. They came out of the maze practically unhurt, and a gay mood had settled over them. They walked along the path for a little bit, goofing off and horsing around.

"Look!" Arc exclaimed and pointed at a small burrow.

"What about it?" Refia asked.

"It's a humbaba nest. The hole is small to get in, but the nest is big enough to hold two of us."

"No way!" Luneth exclaimed. "How do you know this? Was it in one of the books you read?"

"Yeah, a book about monsters."

"That was the one that gave you nightmares for a month!"

Arc flushed and looked away. "Yeah. But it was a good book."

Luneth laughed as they continued to walk on. Shortly after that, a liger attacked, and when it fell over dead, Refia stopped and pulled out the small spell package to create a cottage. Arc was pouring a potion over a shoulder injury Luneth received as the cottage was set up. After the worst of the bleeding had stopped and most of the injury had resealed, Arc set about creating a fire to cook their dinner.

"Why don't you use the utilities inside, Arc?" Refia asked.

"I enjoy the flavor the smoke adds to the food, and I requested Arc cook our food outside tonight," Ingus said as he came over and sat down.

Arc smiled softly and continued cooking. After he finished, he took the plates from their packs and let them get their food. Dinner passed quickly, and soon, the sun had set, and they were huddled around the fire, laughing and passing the time away. Finally, when the moon was at its highest point, they began to get ready for the night. As they headed toward the door, Arc reached into his robes and pulled out a potion.

"Luneth, drink this to heal the rest of your wound. It'll keep it from being sore in the morning."

Luneth stopped and looked at it briefly. He grinned. "You're always taking care of me, aren't you?"

Arc blushed. "I—I'm only repaying—"

"I know; I know," Luneth said with a grin as he took the vial and popped it open.

Refia came over to them. "You guys coming in?"

Arc nodded, "I gave Luneth a second potion to drink. He's gonna need to be fully healed if we're going into the Crystal Tower tomorrow."

Refia smiled at him as Luneth began to chug the potion. Halfway through the potion, Luneth stopped and made a face.

"What is it?" Arc said.

"This doesn't taste like the potions I'm used to."

"It is a regular potion."

"No, I mean, it doesn't taste like… It's different. I've tasted this before, and not in a potion."

Arc studied Luneth carefully. He watched as Luneth took a tiny, smaller sip. Refia leaned over and smelled it.

"It smells the same," she said.

Ingus came out. "What are we still doing outside?"

Luneth paled and began to tremble. "Crap."

"What?" Arc asked, placing a hand on his best friend's shoulder.

"It's an impulse potion," he whispered.

"What?" Ingus backed up a step.

"It's an impulse potion." Luneth dropped the bottle. "Arc, run."

Arc stepped back.

"For your own damn sake, take Refia and run! Now! Get out of my sight!" Luneth snarled at him, then clasped his hands over his mouth.

Without a second thought, Arc grabbed Refia's hand and drug her off, taking off full speed down the pathway they had come from.

"Get out of here, Ingus!" Luneth shouted at him.

Ingus stared into his eyes as Luneth's pupils dilated. "My job is to protect my comrades and all I stand for. I will not allow you to continue with intentions of hurting Arc."

Luneth growled and drew his sword. "It would never be the pain you're expecting."

"What's going on, Arc?" Refia whispered as Arc pulled her along.

"I—I don't know."

They ran for a little ways down the path before Arc stopped in front of a tree.

"What are we doing here?" Refia asked.

Arc held a frenzied finger to his lips and pulled her down to the ground. "It—it's the humbaba burrow."

He lay down on his stomach and wriggled backwards into the tiny hole, disappearing in the darkness. Refia glanced about and followed suit, finding herself laying against Arc. She settled back as Arc wrapped his arms around her waist and fidgeted slightly. She could feel him trembling violently, and as terribly as she wanted to know, she bit her lip to refrain from asking why he seemed so upset. They jumped when a few minutes later when they heard a loud battle cry coming from the direction of the camp.

"Do you think he's fighting Ingus?"

Arc nodded.

"What's wrong? Why are you trembling so badly?"

Arc's face twisted up into a painful expression. "Didn't you hear what he said to me? He said to run for my own sake and get out of his sight. I don't think he really—I think he… I think he was gonna attack me."

Refia turned her head and kissed Arc's nose. "He would never do that. He must have had some reason. Perhaps he didn't want you to be present in case anything bad happened."

Arc just shook his head as the sound of clanging rang through the forest. He clung tightly to Refia as the fighting continued, fighting himself to stay awake. It wasn't too long before Refia fell into a fitful sleep, but her steady breathing helped to partially soothe his frazzled nerves.

He didn't know when, but he woke to the feel of someone shaking him urgently. He eyes flew open, and he saw Refia sitting on his chest, eyes wide and panicky. She scooted off, and slowly, painfully, he sat up.

"Arc! Where are you?"

Arc froze: he knew that voice too well.

"Arc! Come out! We need to talk!" He sounded far too happy.

He peeked through the entrance and saw Luneth standing a ways away from the tree.

"Arc! I know you're around here!" Arc cringed at the aggravation in his voice.

With a snarl, Luneth threw the helmet in his hands to the ground. He kicked the blood-spattered Dragoon armor from the path. Refia put a hand over her mouth when she saw the blood stains on it.

"Come out, Arc. Or Ingus will die. You don't want that, do you? Refia?" Arc saw the evil grin creeping across his face. "Come out, come out, where ever you are!" he sung as he stalked off farther into the woods.

Arc squirmed and looked at Refia. "We have to get to Ingus."

She nodded and looked after Luneth. "We can't let him die! Look at the helmet!"

Arc grew solemn. "I—I think I… I have plan."

He helped push Refia out of the burrow and crawled out after her. When they were standing in the shadows of the wood, Arc took her hands in his and swallowed nervously.

"I—I'll be a dis—distraction. He's looking—looking for me, right? You run as fast—as fast as you can t—to Ingus and get inside the cottage, okay?"

Refia shook her head. "No. We've got to get there together."

They took off running down the path. It wasn't long before another set of pounding feet was heard. Arc turned and looked at Luneth as he quickly gained on them. He looked at Refia as they ran. "You go on. Y—you're the Devout."

And with that, he drew forth his Omnirod and faced Luneth. Refia stopped and looked at him.

"Arc, you're crazy!"

"I—He—I can hold my own for a b—bit. Just get Ingus inside."

Refia turned and ran as Luneth tackled Arc to the ground. Arc trembled when he saw the predatory gleam in Luneth's eyes. He began to call forth a meteor but was silenced when Luneth kissed him with a desperate hunger.

Arc was in a daze as Luneth began to strip both of them down, and finally, he snapped out of it with another killer kiss from Luneth. He struggled wildly as heated kisses were pressed to his bare skin, and when what Luneth was doing registered, and Arc willing submitted to the "attack."

When the door to the cottage opened some time later, Refia looked up. Her magic was spent, and she was exhausted, but Ingus would be waking up to see the morning sun.

"Arc?" she called out as she ran out to the tiny front room.

Arc turned to look at her.

"Arc!" She gasped. "What happened?"

Arc shook his head and drug Luneth back into the second bedroom. Refia followed after him.

"You're a mess! Your hair is all messy; you're covered in dirt; and your eyes! How long have you been crying? What did he do to you?"

Arc winced. "I—it's n—nothing. It's m—my fault."

Refia was by his side. "You need a nice bath and a warm meal. Here, I'll fix you a meal while you take a shower."

Arc shook his head as he lay down on the mattress opposite Luneth's. "Just—just leave."

"Are you sure?" She hesitated at the door.

"G—go."

She exited slowly and sighed, leaning against the door. She looked across the hall to see Ingus watching her.

"What happened?"

She pushed off and walked over to him. "What did you say?"

"What happened?"

She sat on the bed across from him. "I don't know. He came in filthy and crying and refuses to talk about it."

"I fear I know what happened." Ingus struggled to sit up but was pushed back down.

"What? What did he say?"

"Think about their relationship. They're so much closer than anyone else we've seen."

"Okay?"

"They touch each other without regard. They share the same bed almost every night. They would die for each other without a second thought."

Refia sighed.

"And when Luneth spoke, he said the pain that he would inflict upon Arc is the type I would never imagine."

Refia's eyes widened. "You mean, they're…"

"I do believe they are falling for each other."

"I was gonna say, 'Not a couple?' But that works too. Wait a second, you're saying that Luneth—Luneth…"

"Luneth raped Arc under the influence of the Impulse Potion."

"Gaia alive, you're right!" Refia gasped, stood up, and started to the door.

"Refia, sit down. We can't do anything at this point."

She stopped, looked at Ingus, and twisted her hands while sighing, frustrated.

"Rest, we'll think tomorrow."

Ingus fell asleep quickly, the exhaustion from the fight and the strain of his wounds taking its toll, but Refia slept fitfully. And when morning crawling around, she was startled awake by the sound of Luneth bursting through the door.

"Where's Arc? Is he still hiding?"

She shot up and looked at him. "He's gone? He drug you back after you—after you…"

She climbed out of bed and pushed past Luneth to check their room. When she saw the empty bed, she cried out and ran to the door, flinging it open to be met with a terrible storm.

She squeaked as Luneth turned her around and pinned her to the wall. "What did I do to him yesterday?"

"We're not sure, but we have a pretty good idea."

"Then spit it out and tell me!"

Refia breathed a sigh of relief when Ingus came hobbling out, and Luneth spun to see him.

"And I'm the cause of that, too, huh?"

Ingus nodded.

"What did I do to Arc."

"We believe you raped him."

Luneth's eyes grew wide at the statement as he sank to knees. "N—no."

Ingus looked at him solemnly. Luneth pounded the floor, slamming his forehead on it.

"He'll never speak to me now! I should've believed him when he was suspicious of the bullies' behavior!"

Refia was by his side. "Luneth, stop. Arc's a rational person. I'm sure—"

"With how shy he is? No, he's gonna avoid me like a plague!"

The rest of the day was spent trying to convince Luneth that Arc would, indeed, talk to him. The storm raged well into three days, and with each passing hour Luneth was cooped up inside of the cottage, he became increasingly depressed. Arc still hadn't come back. Luneth spent the hours in the room, lying on the bed. His energy that drove the team seemed to have disappeared. On the evening of the third day, Refia walked into Luneth's room as he sat on the bed. She held out to him a plate of food and a canteen of water.

"Go find him," she commanded.

Luneth continued to stare at the floor.

"Get off your butt and find him."

"You," he whispered.

"No. You. You know him better. Find him and talk to him."

"In this storm?"

"Yes. He's probably freezing cold and dying of pneumonia. Find him, bring him back, and we'll work through things."

Luneth looked at the food and the canteen. "He's probably better off dead after what I did."

"Luneth!" Refia screeched. "He's still your friend! Even if he doesn't want to talk to you, you could at least try to make amends! Get off your lazy ass and go find him! I don't want you moping around here when Arc could be out in that storm, letting himself get torn up by all sorts of unimaginable creatures!"

Luneth rose wearily and took the food and water. He stood there for several minutes before trudging to the door and opening it. Then, he turned back and walked to their supplies, opening the bottles carefully and tasting every potion.

"What are you doing?" Refia sighed as she closed the door.

"I'm checking to see if these are real potions."

Finally, he pocketed ten of them and rose a second time, heading out into the thunderstorm. Luneth stood in the woods with the covered plate in his hands and the canteen around his waist.

"I'm so sorry, Arc," he muttered to the howling wind.

He let his feet guide him as he searched for Arc, until finally, he stood at the base of the Ancients' Maze, soaking wet and freezing.

"Here goes nothing," he said as he took the top off the food and pulled out a potion from his pocket to pop the top and pour a small amount into the food. "Let this work."

Changing briefly into the Dragoon armor, he leapt up onto the maze roof and started toward the small figure in the distance. His armor changed back into the Dark Knight's as he trudged forward. He finally reached the hunched over figure and stood by his side.

"Refia told me to find you and bring you food."

He set the plate down and straightened back up. After several minutes, Arc reached over and took the plate. He eyed the food carefully as he took the top off, completely oblivious to the pouring rain. Luneth watched him as he ate, and when the majority of the food was gone, Luneth bowed his head.

"I'm sorry, Arc. Really. I hope you'll forgive me. You probably hate me, but I brought you my form of apology."

Luneth took a step back and spread his arms wide as if he were inviting the lightening to hit him. "Tell me how you feel. Show me."

It was seconds before there was a thud as Luneth went skidding across the concrete roof. He groaned in pain as he reached up and touched his jaw, pulling a knife from the deep gash. In a second, Arc, dressed in the ninja outfit, was in front of him, glaring down at him.

"Hate you? You think I hate you, Luneth?"

Luneth shuddered at the low hiss. Arc jerked back and clasped his hand over his mouth.

"You—you cheat! You fed me an Impulse Potion!"

Luneth struggled to stand up against the wind and felt the blood trickling down into his armor: speaking was going to be tough. "It's the only way to get you to talk."

He grunted when Arc kneed him in the stomach and elbowed him in the back. Arc jumped back a bit and pointed at him.

"I don't hate you! I could never hate you! You're the only one that's been there for most of my life, and you expect hatred from me?"

"I ruined our friendship." Luneth sat down.

Arc pulled his hand into a fist and stared down at it. "All these years you've been my only friend. I could never hate you. Never. I've always wanted to be you. You're everything, Luneth! Handsome, strong, courageous! I've never been any of those! I could never hate you! I could've stopped you if I tried! If I—"

"You wouldn't have tried."

Arc glared at him. "If I wanted to! I could've blasted you with a spell or beaten you with a stick, but I didn't! I let you have your way with me because it felt good! I enjoyed it! I took advantage of your drugged up state! I could've stopped you if I wanted to! I don't know why you chose to take your lust out on me, but I didn't mind at all! I know I'm nothing like you. I'm not a social butterfly; I'm not physically active; I'm not good-looking."

Arc walked up to him. Luneth looked surprised to see him crying, but the whipping rain could have been the tears. Arc backhanded Luneth across the wound to send him sprawling and stared down as Luneth struggled to sit up.

"I wasn't upset with you. I was upset with myself. I've always admired you and looked up to you. I wanted you to myself. I got you to myself. I wanted more. It tore me apart to think that you would go off on an adventure and find some lovely young woman to marry and have kids with because I knew I couldn't give you what you wanted. The priestess Aria was the worst. I felt terrible when she died, though, because I thought you might have found someone you could live with forever."

Luneth struggled to get his helmet off. When he did, the wind ruffled the feather slightly, calmer than before. Arc took off his mouth cover and knelt down in front of him, softly dabbing up the blood.

"I can't hate you. I love you, Luneth, which I know is impossible, because we're just teenagers, and we can't know love quite like adults can because of hormones, but I love you anyway. You don't have to hate yourself for what you did. It's me who needs to be blamed, but just don't stop being my friend, will you?"

Arc paused briefly and undid his sash. He tore it in half. Luneth chuckled slightly.

"I think I will," he whispered.

Arc froze.

"This seems like a much more inviting offer."

Despite the pain in his jaw, Luneth leaned forward and pressed a light kiss to Arc's lips. Arc immediately returned it and jerked back when Luneth winced.

"Right, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Luneth. I really shouldn't have done that. I'm so sorry. I should be bandaging up your jaw." He pressed half of the sash to Luneth's wound. "Can you hold that in place?" Luneth obliged, and Arc began to tie the other half around his head to keep the cloth in place. "I should've been more careful. Here you are in pain because I couldn't control myself. What kind of a friend is that? I'm a terrible person. You're suffering, and I'm blathering about nothing. I should've been helping you. Really, I should've. We need to get you to Refia."

Luneth chuckled quietly again. "You're awfully chatty when you act on impulse. Thoughts never stop in that brain of yours, do they?"

"Generally they don't," Arc said, leaning back on his heels as he finished tying the sash. "I'm just so much more apt to think than do anything and—"

"You look terrible, Arc. Aren't you tired?"

"I haven't slept ever since the incident. I've been up here the entire time."

Luneth leaned forward and wrapped Arc in a hug. Arc jerked slightly, but nevertheless, nuzzled against him while wrapping his arms around his neck. Luneth stood slowly and walked to the edge of the wall as Arc fell asleep. He glanced at the quiet forest in front of him.

"I should've known the storm was all your creation. You're a brilliant mage and incredibly strong, Arc."

Without a second thought, he leapt from the wall and began to walk back to the cottage. Refia and Ingus were asleep when he returned and set Arc down. Then, he pulled out the rest of the Impulse Potion he had and threw it out the door.

"Perhaps the bullies finally did something right."

When morning rolled around, Arc found himself curled up against Luneth. Memories of last night came flooding back to him, and while he couldn't understand what was being said, he figured out what must have passed between them. Luneth yawned beside him and immediately groaned in pain. Arc shot up and looked down to see Luneth lightly touching the bloody cloth.

"L—Luneth?"

Luneth smiled slightly and sat up. Arc got up and went to get some of the bandages and gauze, and immediately set about rebandaging the wound.

"L—last night…"

Luneth stilled Arc's hands and looked him in the eye. "I love you, Arc. Stop feeling so bad."

Arc turned a brilliant shade of red. "I—I must have been really out character last night."

Luneth nodded. "But you said what needed to be said."

Arc looked down, then set about redressing the wound again. By the time he was done, Refia was peeking in.

"Good, you found him." She scrunched up her face. "And both of you desperately need to get cleaned."

"We'll need to let Luneth's injuries heal," Arc said. "I—is that okay?"

"What happened?" Refia said.

"I always knew never to piss off Arc."

Refia stepped in. "How bad are they? Get cleaned off, and I'll heal them for you."

Luneth nodded as she left them. He smiled softly at Arc and pulled him into a hug.

"Doga's manor doesn't sound like such a bad place," Arc said quietly.

"We can be alone with each other," Luneth said as Arc kissed him lightly on the lips. Then with a wink and his old mischievous grin, he added, "And see what happens when you touch a moogle's pom-pom."


End file.
